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caesura
[ si-zhoor-uh, -zoor-uh, siz-yoor-uh ]
noun
- Prosody. a break, especially a sense pause, usually near the middle of a verse, and marked in scansion by a double vertical line, as in know then thyself ‖ presume not God to scan.
- Classical Prosody. a division made by the ending of a word within a foot, or sometimes at the end of a foot, especially in certain recognized places near the middle of a verse.
- any break, pause, or interruption.
caesura
/ sɪˈzjʊərə /
noun
- (in modern prosody) a pause, esp for sense, usually near the middle of a verse line Usual symbol||
- (in classical prosody) a break between words within a metrical foot, usually in the third or fourth foot of the line
Derived Forms
- caeˈsural, adjective
Other Words From
- cae·sural cae·suric adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of caesura1
Example Sentences
This is a detail from "Caesura" by Emily Henretta, on view now at Room East in New York.
Notice some examples where the caesura necessarily preserves a final -e from elision, as in B 3989; where tal-e occurs before al.
Hence there is no need to elide a vowel at the caesura; it must therefore be sounded clearly.
The latter syllable of profit comes at the caesura, and is easily read quickly.
In verses of eleven or twelve syllables, however, the caesura is usually employed to give a break in a determined place.
The caesura requires a strong accent on the syllable preceding it, and does not prevent synalepha.
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